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Topic: Metallica (Read 1055 times)

If anyone has seen Metallica's Icon commercial on MTV, could you please tell me what song that is playing in the background? It sorta sounds like the 'Fistful of dollars' theme, but it could be 'High Plains Drifter' or something, I'm not sure...

They showed a clip from 'The Good, the Bad & the Ugly' when they toured the 'Black' album and I assume that's what they would play. I do not watch MTV in any capacity since they do not play videos anymore (or good ones anyway).

As far as Metallica go...

I was lucky enough to see them in a small club during the 'Ride the Lightning' tour. I was beyond a dedicated and major fan until they decided to give up on their roots and Jason Newsted. They have a lot to prove to me before I jump on board again...

I am an 'old school' Metallica fan. Been with them from the very get-go. As proof and bragging rights, I submit the following image...

I just saw the 'MTV Icon' extravaganza (I know, re-run), and have a few observations and comments I'd like to get off my chest...

I saw them before anyone could pronounce their name. Shook Cliff Burton's hand, met everyone at Monsters of Rock due to winning (total fluke) a radio contest (also met Van Halen and won a custom Kramer Baretta Guitar!) and have basically breathed, eaten, slept and lived Metallica until the post-Black Album era. I began to feel some distance being created by them with their true and loyal fans and they were riding the mainstream wave a little too comfortibly for my tastes. When you see them play in a theater that holds 300 people topps ripping through Ride the Lightning and not turning it into a 'medley', that tends to happen. They had always been the unspoken 'best' band for me, seemed too obvious a choice to come out and admit. It also goaded others to say, 'What about Metallica?' to which I would respond, 'Who?' and then go into my broad, obscure knowledge and pull out a 'Spastic Children' reference... I mourn the loss of Cliff and embraced Jason and his former band (Flotsam & Jetsam - still staying true to their metal calling btw).

side note: Jason worked with a guy I went to college with at a music (instrument) shop in Arizona. The guy said that Jason found out about the audition right before he played a gig with Flotsam and he smashed his base into toothpicks at the end of the show. The next day my buddy went to work and his boss was fired up. Jason had taken the best bass in the shop and was headed to try out for Metallica. All he left was a note with an IOU. The boss stated that Jason would never amount to anything and he was out several hundred dollars for the bass he had taken. Several months passed and again my buddy went to work and his boss was happy beyond words. A certified check from Electra records had arrived in the amount of the cost of the bass Jason had taken. The boss simply stated that he knew all along Jason had what it took!

So they initiate Jason from the start and never let up. No real creative input and him being forbidden from doing side projects laid pavement for his way out. I will miss him as a Metallica member. He was there endless source of youthful energy. I will embrace Voi-Vod openly in support of his ability and ultimate coolness.

Now I am a little confused and torn and do not know what to think. I really like Robert Trujillo as a choice for the new bassist. Most know him from Ozzy, but those of us with some years in the pit know he tore it up with Suicidal Tendencies long before that.

Metallica opens with 'Hit the Lights' and I am blown away they are revisiting that and starting to get impressed and excited again about them until... 'Medley'. I'm watching all these audience members trying to grove and as soon as they are on track, it's another song visited briefly. I cannot stomach that at all. Give it all to us, or shut up!!! I am very disappointed when they begin to play something new. It actually sounds like they are playing something that relates to their roots and has that modern, catchy edge and flavor to it. They are doing what I have been imploring them to do as a fan and silently waiting, uncritical and observant for it to happen. I do not bash them ever. I have been silent for a long time about them. This is the first I have spoken of my views and opinions about them since the post-Black Album era. I was not impressed, but just waiting because my faith they would come around and pay tribute to where they began and mix that in with their new ideas and talent and egos.

Do I get excited? Or am I setting myself up for disappointment? Torn. I want to believe, but cannot until I hear it with my own ears.

Just needed to do that. thanks for listening and respond if you will.

Also want to let the world know that Anthrax has a new CD and it rips! The wait was worth it. They are back with a vengence and I think it is going to pave the way for that 'old school' thrash and heavy mentality to make it back into the mix of the modern sound. Scott Ian is again the wizard of the riff. Charlie Benante tears the wall out with his 'is that really possible' drumming, and John Bush is a scathing and hardcore as ever! Been his fan since I saw Armored Saint with Metallica (see above stub).

Anyway, if you like heavy and 1980's thrash/death, then I like you. I have a long list of great and obscure music you should hear if you haven't that I will post sometime soon. I saw it come and blow the hair off the poser bands. I have been an underground fan and listened to it still kick my head in without any publicity or airplay when everyone thought it had died, and now I am hear to say, it never went away. Some bands died out, some lost sight of their identity for awhile and others kept gritting their teeth and filling smalls clubs while they waited for it to rear it's head again. Respect is what these blue collar, anti-hairspray and true-core metal musicians have earned from me and I hope soem of you as well...

Nice to have an ally. The 'music to kill your mother by' has always been misunderstood by most. There is so much more to it and I really feel some of the greatest instrumental musicians are involved in creating it. It is soothing for me. It gives me the kind of feeling on might get from fine jazz or classical music. It actually calms me to listen to the heaviest of music. We must stick together!

I guess beyond opinions about whether Metallica's new stuff will appease or disgust any fans, we can make this a headbanger consortium post...

Here are a few of my favorite obscure thrash/death cd's in no particualr order...

I got into Metallica briefly right around And Justice for All and the Black album after that though it went to crap and I was immensly turned off by the whole deal. Some bands grow into something awesome others make choices that don't turn out so hot. I really don't see them as being relevant any more in music as metal went the way of the dodo around '94 and I don't see it coming back. As much as the black album gets slagged I still think it is an awesome group of songs

It is so cool though Thomas that you've been there all along. Sorry too see what has happened to them

Commercialization sucks, don't it? Saw a funny set up with the McFarlane Metallica figs. Somebody had customized them wearing "Napster sucks" t-shirts.

I like Metallica. I first saw them back in the early 80's (I'll try to find the stub) at a place called the Playhouse theater. It held 1400 people I was wearing a jean jacket, ergo, I was the only person not wearing black.

I am a banger from way back. Though I find it entertaining to think that Metal has gone away (seems my night to disagree with Scott ). I tend to think of it as evolving. It's really quite funny to think of bands like Zeppelin, Deep Purple and others as "heavy metal" but in their respective day, they were it. Parents loathed them, governments feared them. I consider Pearl Jam, Nirvana and the like to essentially be metal. Yeah, I know, grunge, but the difference would exactly be what? Driving guitars comprised of about four chords, heavy bass and thundering drums. Now, what does that describe?

There is a distinction there between metal and rock I think though grunge is sort of a metal/punk blend and while it is somewhat related I'd call it more rock then metal, it's semantics really and why not call it all rock.

I understand how one who does not follow it closely can miss it being there at all. I think Metallica is due for a heavy, fast and more brutal album. Much of their recent stuff seems so 'catchy' and while there are moments, through and through the albums have been weak.

Metal is not dead and here's proof. There are bands that have carried the torch. Slayer has been consistant and never waned or strayed from what they do best. Flotsam & Jetsam continue to tour small clubs and put out solid, heavy albums, Machinehead had the newer sound going and their last album was pretty weak as a whole. Now Robb Flynn of MH is reuniting with Vio-Lence to do a new album. The heavy bands have never gotten too far beyond small clubs and a core of fans that are true. They haven't seen things get any better, but they have not gotten any worse either. With Ozzy introducing new heavy acts at Ozfest and the older metal gods continuing to release material and tour; metal has quietly survived and has been waiting for the right moment to make itself heard again.

Judas Priest are over. Rob Halford was JP. Without him, there is none. Ripper is not even close. He has a decent voice, but his presence is very weak. I saw Halford with his little garage band (Halford) and they were amazing because of Halford's presence. His sexuality doesn't make him any less heavy to me and he has provided me with endless hours of pleasurable listening. Judas Priest is dead.

Maiden is also dead. Bruce Dickenson said to the audience the last concert I went to, 'If you came here to hear some old sh*t, then you can f**k off! We have a new album and that's what we're going to play.' The 3 guitarist thing is utterly ridiculous. They're done.

The gods have been brought down. New one's need to come back and take over. Anthrax has gotten the ball rolling. Megadeth can't do anything because Dave can never play again. Slayer continue to be honest, brutal and solid. Sepultura needs Max back. Now, the ball is in Metallica's court. What they do with this next album will make a big statement either way. I also think Jason Newsted working with other bands will help get more people listening to more obscure stuff. Anyway, I said rant. You can't stop me...

Thomas,I couldn't agree with you more about Maiden and Priest. I stopped going to see Maiden after the Powerslave tour and really never bought another album after that point, other than "Best of" types.

I can only presume you have seen the movie Rock Star. Did you enjoy it? Halford was indeed Priest, one and the same. Having never been at a Priest concert anywhere but in the first four rows, his revelation was a tad disturbing (surprising), but I could have cared less about his orientation and wish he had stayed with the band. Again, another band I live in the past with.

AC/DC remains solid in my opinion. Granted it's some 20+ years since Back in Black, but they are hanging in there with some decent tunes from Razor's edge. I think I could to some degree accept an argument that they are more rock than metal, but that may well only be because metal seems to have sped up and they remained the same. Classic metal versus speed metal if you will.

Diabolus in Musica was in your opinion a mistake Jango Fettish. Obviously this is all opinion here. I guess it grew on me because it was the only cd I had when I painted my dad's basement some years ago. Whether it was the paint fumes or how brutal they played it live, I still liked it.

If we are talking huge trend rock music mistakes...

No matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I wanted to belive in the band and think maybe I could some how figure out what it was they were doing that was so profound or beyond me, these just plain suck and were really hard to accept...

Judas Priest - Turbo. Not a redeeming quality on it.Iron Maiden - 7th son of a 7th son. Steve Harris runs out of good lyrical and good musical ideas.Metallica - Reload (and Load now that I think of it). Some redeeming qualities, but too much commercial crap, videos and ticket prices that weren't worth it.Overkill - I Hear Black. This coming after Horrorscope was a tragedy.Megadeth - can't think dammit! The one after Countdown to extinction...Anthrax - State of EuphoriaSepultura - any w/o MaxDio - everything after Last in Line

Rock star was great! I saw Priest play a club right after that and it was all I could think of, especially when Glen Tipton started singing back up vocals. Halford would've never allowed that!

As far as Ac/Dc go, can't stand them now. The lead singer is singing from somewhere that is beyond sore throat. His voice has been done for a long time. Can't sing the old tunes like he used to. Angus will always have that stinging guitar style and they are the consumate party band. Solid hard rock and damn good back in the day. They are good now for interviews (usually hilarious and drunk soccer hooligans) and that's about it.

One band I can't even begin to tell you how much I dislike is Pantera. They have some tight, straight-forward, heavy stuff, but Phil is a complete idiot. Have seen them twice when he was too wasted to do anything and just kept saying how he shouldn't have taken so much acid... I mean, the man dies (literally is pronounced dead) from a herion overdose and he somehow makes it back through only to preach how awesome doing drugs is and to party it up. Being a recovering dude from all sorts of nasty habits, he just really makes me think 'loser' when I hear or see him now.

I feel Layne Staley was a man fighting a demon. He at least acknowledged his problem and tried at times to be better than it. It is a tragedy that someone so talented had to follow a path so dark...

I guess I see the metal side coming out in bands such as Soundgarden and Alice who were a lot closer to the above listed bands than PJ and Nirvana were. It is sort of odd that this awlays underground sort of music made it to the point where it was adored by a lot of people (and I guess you can throw me in there as well) Load I think was the peak of that and people on both sides of the aisle started rejecting it, I thought it was a Load of crap myself